Market Chatter-Corporate finance press digest

Reuters Staff

3 Min Read

May 1 (Reuters) - The following corporate finance-related stories were reported by media on Wednesday:

* Canadian coffee-and-doughnut chain Tim Hortons Inc has come under pressure from hedge fund Highfields Capital, a large investor, to aggressively boost returns through debt-funded share buybacks and a scaling back of U.S. expansion plans, according to documents seen by Reuters and two sources familiar with the matter.

* During Kazakh miner Eurasian Natural Resources Corp’s 2007 flotation on the London Stock Exchange, lawyers and auditors found evidence that the company’s financial records had been falsified or destroyed, according to people familiar with the matter, the Financial Times reported. ()

* A private equity group made up of Bain Capital LLC and Golden Gate Capital Corp has emerged as the lead contender to buy BMC Software Inc for more than $6.5 billion, three people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.

* Yahoo! Inc decided not to pursue a deal for online-video site Dailymotion after a French government official insisted that it not take majority control, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people briefed on the matter. ()

* UK Coal Operations, partly owned by Coalfield Resources , has proposed a voluntary liquidation and the handing over of its remaining mines to a new company, the Financial Times reported, after a fire closed Britain’s largest coal mine.

* An investor in Uber, the fast-growing alternative taxi service, has reached out to a venture capital firm about a potential new funding round that could value the company at $1 billion or more, a person familiar with the situation told Reuters.

* Hedge funds, including Paulson & Co. Inc., are pushing Congress to abandon plans to liquidate Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as investors buy up preferred stock that has long been considered worthless, according to people with knowledge of the discussions, Bloomberg reported. ()

* Fuel supplier Z Energy is looking to raise about $565 million in the second-largest initial public offering proposed in Australia and New Zealand this year, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. ()